The Role
We have an exciting opportunity for a Procurement Manager to join Synlait at our Dunsandel site. This is a critical leadership role responsible for shaping and driving the procurement strategy across the organisation. You will oversee all procurement activities, ensuring alignment with business goals, sustainability objectives, governance frameworks and customer needs while enabling a high-performing and commercially focused procurement team.
As Procurement Manager, you will bring strong strategic and commercial leadership, a deep understanding of procurement best practice and a proven ability to lead teams, negotiate complex contracts and resolve supplier challenges.
The main responsibilities of this role include.
- Continue to build a strong, capable and engaged procurement team that is empowered to deliver against company objectives and support key initiatives across the business.
- Elevate the importance of the Procurement function across Synlait and develop a culture that embraces critical thinking and leads continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with senior leaders and stakeholders across the organisation to connect procurement activities with business planning, performance metrics, and customer outcomes.
- Navigate complex supplier relationships, lead negotiations and deliver measurable cost savings while ensuring continuity of supply and alignment to customer contracts and performance obligations.
- Develop team expertise in sourcing, negotiation, contract management and risk mitigation.
- Monitor market trends and supplier performance to identify cost-saving opportunities and drive continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand their procurement requirements and provide guidance and support.
- Work with key customers on joint procurement initiatives including joint sourcing, regular reporting and key cost saving initiatives.
- Champion strong data governance and reporting, using insights to reduce risk, improve visibility and support decision making through well-built business cases and continuous improvement initiatives.
If you are a skilled and experienced procurement professional with a track record of successfully managing high performing procurement teams and driving cost savings then we want to hear from you!
Skills and Experience
To be considered for this role will require …
- 10+ years’ experience in strategic procurement or commercial roles, ideally within manufacturing or supply chain environments.
- Tertiary qualification in finance, accounting, business, or equivalent field or relevant Management experience.
- Membership of a recognised Procurement/Supply Chain industry body desirable (eg. CIPS).
- Demonstrated success in developing and implementing procurement frameworks that deliver measurable value.
- Proven ability to lead, develop and inspire high-performing teams, driving a culture of accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to assess complex situations and make effective decisions.
- Proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships with senior leaders, suppliers, customers and stakeholders.
- Skilled in strategic planning, project management, negotiation, and influencing outcomes.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to drive alignment and add value across the business.
About us
Synlait is a dynamic, purpose-led milk nutrition company that is Doing Milk Differently for a Healthier World!
We pride our organisation as being different and allowing our spirit to drive our success, shifting perceptions and driving value through new thinking and a new attitude.
You’ll be joining down-to-earth, authentic people working together to create the very best in milk nutrition as we combine expert farming with innovative thinking and state-of-the-art processing to produce a range of nutritional milk products for our global customers.
We will challenge you by providing the opportunities you’ve been seeking to expand your career; we believe that everyone brings unique experiences and perspectives to the table so are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and embrace diversity to drive innovation and business success.
What we offer:
- Health insurance cover & partnered with top brands for great benefits and discounts
- Excellent parental leave with our Matua policy
- B Corp TM certified
- Social Club membership opportunities
What's next?
Include your most recent CV and cover letter summarising your abilities and what you can bring to Synlait. We wish you the best of luck in your application. We encourage you to apply early as we will be reviewing applications regularly and may close the advertisement early.
Together we will continue to create a workplace where everyone can thrive and contribute their best.
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